Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Jal el Dib

For one person, living is cheaper in Jal el Dib: $987 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Playa del Carmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Jal el Dib
Learn more

Jal el Dib Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Jal el Dib

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$987

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Jal el Dib

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Jal el Dib actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $987 in Jal el Dib.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Jal el Dib $987

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,592 in Jal el Dib.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Jal el Dib $1,592

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,196 in Jal el Dib.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Jal el Dib $2,196

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 22% more expensive than in Jal el Dib, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Jal el Dib 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$11.95 LBP 1.1M

-8.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$68.8 LBP 6.2M

-36.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.12 LBP 905.8K

16.40%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$4.61 LBP 412.3K

-17.35%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$24.10

$2.28 LBP 203.9K

-43.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$0.91 LBP 81.2K

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$4.88 LBP 436.7K

-35.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.85 LBP 434.3K

1.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$1.95 LBP 174.1K

-27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$0.90 LBP 80.5K

146.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$2.24 LBP 200.8K

-36.61%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$3.66 LBP 327.1K

-31.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$11.19 LBP 1.0M

-35.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$10.62 LBP 950.2K

-27.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$15.07 LBP 1.3M

-15.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.11 LBP 278.0K

-10.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$1.70 LBP 151.7K

-19.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$1.67 LBP 149.8K

52.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$1.49 LBP 133.0K

42.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.20 LBP 107.6K

61.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$1.59 LBP 142.2K

18.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$1.21 LBP 108.3K

-4.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$0.73 LBP 65.7K

61.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$2.98 LBP 266.3K

44.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$11.03 LBP 986.9K

-9.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.32 LBP 117.8K

19.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$2.52 LBP 225.5K

5.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$5.03 LBP 450.2K

-1.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$2.23 LBP 199.2K

49.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$22.69 LBP 2.0M

-76.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.04 LBP 93.4K

38.46%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$53.6K LBP 4.8B

-61.45%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$32.8K LBP 2.9B

-28.36%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$84.8 MX$1,594

$216 LBP 19.3M

-60.70%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.41 MX$440

$23.90 LBP 2.1M

-2.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$37.83 LBP 3.4M

-24.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$9.92 LBP 887.5K

-48.19%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$207 MX$3,882

$690 LBP 61.7M

-70.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$10.5K LBP 943.7M

-62.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$68.4 LBP 6.1M

-36.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$48.64 LBP 4.4M

-14.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$138 LBP 12.3M

-46.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$118 LBP 10.6M

-24.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.09%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jal el Dib: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Jal el Dib

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Jal el Dib

$278 28.1% 9.1% $23

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Jal el Dib

$228 23.1% 12.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Jal el Dib

$277 28.1% 103% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Jal el Dib

$168 17% 50.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Jal el Dib

$20 * 2% 70.5% $47

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Jal el Dib

$16 * 1.6% 68% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $69 in Jal el Dib for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $278 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇱🇧 Jal el Dib

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

20:23 8:23 PM

7 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,877 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Jal el Dib 11,440 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Jal el Dib

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs Jal el Dib: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jal el Dib is about 18% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,806 in Playa del Carmen and $1,481 in Jal el Dib to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $690 in Jal el Dib. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $69 in Jal el Dib. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.